Playing 'Odds' Gives Crofton Area Man $50K Lottery Win

From the Maryland Lottery:

CROFTON, MD — A loyal Bonus Match 5 player won $50,000 in the Feb. 5 drawing, he says by watching trends and picking his own numbers at the Crofton Giant store.

The Anne Arundel County resident has spent more than a decade playing the daily game and follows the winning numbers.

“I played all odd numbers because I had a feeling,” said the winner, identified only as Happy Great Uncle. “It’s been a long time since this happened.”

The winning numbers to match were 3, 5, 19, 29 and 39.

The uncle of three and great uncle of one bought his lucky ticket at his favorite retailer, the Giant Food store at 1161 Route 3 North in Crofton. He shops there regularly and buys Bonus Match 5, Mega Millions and Multi-Match tickets. On the day of the drawing, he bought a $6 Bonus Match 5 ticket, which gave him nine play boards of five numbers each. The 50-year-old picked the numbers himself for each board, rather than allowing the Lottery terminal to Quick Pick them.

When he checked his ticket after the drawing, the bachelor realized he’d achieved his biggest win ever in the game and managed to remain calm.

“Yeah, it’s about time,” he said. “I didn’t want to get too excited. I might have a heart attack!”

The “Happy Great Uncle” plans to pay bills with his prize and share some of the winnings with friends.

For selling the top-prize ticket, the retailer also wins. The Giant store will receive a $500 bonus from the Lottery.

»PHOTO: Winning the $50,000 Bonus Match 5 top prize made this Anne Arundel County uncle a happy man; courtesy of Maryland Lottery